Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albany, NY and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,223 a month against $2,776 in Albany, NY, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Albany, NY
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Albany, NY Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Albany, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,776

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Albany, NY and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Albany, NY and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,776 in Albany, NY versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Albany, NY $2,776
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,419 in Albany, NY versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Albany, NY $4,419
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,061 in Albany, NY versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Albany, NY $6,061
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Albany, NY is roughly 25% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Albany, NY 106% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.00 $27.00

$16.50 €14.67

63.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$61.3 €54.5

63.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.87 $14.87

$11.27 €10.03

31.94%

Cappuccino

$6.30 $6.30

$3.06 €2.72

105.88%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.26 €2.01

19.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.73 €1.54

17.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$3.39 €3.02

76.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.40 $10.40

$3.40 €3.02

205.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.12 €1.00

-6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.86 €1.65

72.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.07 $7.07

$1.53 €1.36

362.09%

Eggs

$5.10 $5.10

$3.96 €3.53

28.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.37 $16.37

$12.76 €11.35

28.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.25 $16.25

$7.90 €7.02

105.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.60 $18.60

$16.97 €15.09

9.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$2.27 €2.02

107.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.75 €1.55

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$1.85 €1.64

194.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.57 €2.28

85.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.86 €1.65

70.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.02 €1.80

75.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.44 €1.28

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.82 €0.73

137.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.11 $15.11

$6.56 €5.83

130.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 $14.25

$5.62 €5.00

153.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.28 €1.14

61.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.07 €1.84

92.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.35 €2.09

-35.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 $63.9

$44.18 €39.30

44.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.99 €3.55

28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.09 €0.97

24.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$16.64 €14.81

77.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.28 €2.03

-53.07%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.1K $36.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

7.17%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.2K $25.2K

$39.3K €35.0K

-35.74%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$215 $215

$167 €149

28.17%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$18.80 €16.72

270.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.9 $87.9

$33.09 €29.43

165.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.64 $38.64

$46.01 €40.93

-16.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.03 $38.03

$19.19 €17.07

98.18%

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$9.84 €8.75

52.24%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,475 $1,475

$677 €602

117.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K $16.9K

$16.9K €15.1K

-0.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 $54.2

$101 €90.1

-46.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 $40.55

$45.76 €40.70

-11.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$100.0 €88.9

11.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$123 €109

-13.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 $1,440

$1,614 €1,436

-10.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 $1,256

$1,197 €1,065

4.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,882 $2,882

$2,862 €2,545

0.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,595 $2,595

$1,990 €1,770

30.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,454 $2,454

$7,577 €6,740

-67.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,478 $2,478

$4,307 €3,831

-42.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,245 $4,245

$1,588 €1,412

167.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

3.85

72.99%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Albany, NY: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Albany, NY

$1.3K 45.2%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 4.7% $59

Groceries & Markets

Albany, NY

$451 16.3%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 40.3% $182

Eating Out

Albany, NY

$406 14.6%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 40.3% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albany, NY

$372 13.4%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 41.1% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Albany, NY

$140 5.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 18.5% $26

Getting Around

Albany, NY

$82 3%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 23% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Albany, NY

$69 2.5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 4.2% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,440 in Albany, NY and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albany, NY pays 167% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $100 in Albany, NY vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $451 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Albany, NY

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

00:26 12:26 AM

5 h ahead of Albany, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,228

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Albany, NY Lisbon 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Albany, NY
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Albany, NY vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Albany, NY. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lisbon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 167% higher in Albany, NY, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,440 in Albany, NY versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lisbon – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $100 in Albany, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,776 per month in Albany, NY versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,223 in Lisbon versus $2,776 in Albany, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Albany, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lisbon delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,223 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lisbon hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Albany, NY and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Albany, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.